WELCOME TO DARNALL FORUM'S COMMUNITY BLOG, with news and information about Darnall and the Forum. You can also follow us on Facebook and Twitter @darnallForum or subscribe to our RSS news feed by entering your email address in the window at the foot of this page.

Wednesday, 20 May 2015

We don't have to put up with loads of litter in Darnall! Together we can make a difference. These are some of the intrepid litter pickers who took part in the Darnall Community Litter Pick on Tuesday 19 May. They are pictured standing outside the Staniforth Neighbourhood Centre just before they set out for a local litter pick.

The litter that was collected!

The Canal and River Trust will be working alongside Blue Loop volunteers and local residents to carry out a Canal Towpath Tidy in Darnall on Wednesday 29 May. Meet on the corner of Shirland Lane and Ardmore Street at 10.30am. Under 18s must be accompanied by an adult. All tools and equipment will be provided.

Well done to all the students from Darnall and Tinsley who received their certificates today at the Town Hall, presented by the Lord Mayor of Sheffield. Tutor Zahira NazCourse: Introduction to community development and health(The WisH 'What is Health' Community Development and Health Programme was previously owned by NHS Sheffield and is presently part of Public Health Sheffield)

Tuesday, 12 May 2015

Neighbourhood Watch Surgeries are now taking place in Darnall Post Office on the second Tuesday morning of each month. There wasn't a surgery in April, because of the Easter holidays, but ten people raised issues at the March surgery and these were passed to the Darnall Neighbourhood Watch police supervisor. If you have concerns about things like anti-social behaviour please some along next time.The surgeries are organised by South Yorkshire Neighbourhood Watch Association.

As a community organiser, my job role is to listen to local
residents and support them, addressing their concerns in the community.

A significant number of ladies wanted to learn how to cook
healthy meals for themselves and their families. Therefore, in January 2015, I
ran a Healthy Cooking on a budget course for six weeks. The course was funded by
Lifelong Learning (Sheffield City Council). 12 ladies enrolled and we had
excellent attendance each week. The women were taught about cooking healthy food on a
low income. The courses were very practical and hands on. Upon completion, the
course was reviewed and the result of the evaluation was positive. Ladies had
begun to make many positive changes and healthy choices and by the end of this course I had a waiting list of more ladies
wanting to do a Healthy Eating course.

In April this year another six week course was organised
(Healthy Indian Cooking). 19 ladies enrolled. This course
is aimed to look at cooking South Asian cuisine in a healthy way, doing food
swaps and creating healthier portion sizes.

A local businessman, who owns Iqbal and Sons greengrocers in Tinsley, approached me to find out about the cooking
courses. He had heard about them through word of mouth from his customers. He
was very impressed and told me: "I have many local women among my customers. In the last year I have noticed a shift in what they are buying and I've
noticed how they are swapping to more healthy food. During my
conversation with customers, I've heard about the Healthy Eating courses
organised by Zahira. I myself am very aware of healthy eating and a healthy
lifestyle because I suffered from a stroke in my twenties and we have a family history
of heart disease and diabetes. Therefore, I feel it's important to teach local
people how to cook healthily and encourage a healthy lifestyle, especially with Pakistani food. This is why I'm happy and will feel privileged to sponsor the next
healthy eating course in Tinsley.”

Links to other useful sites

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Meet some of the staff

Left to right: Nazia, Neil, Shabana and Rahat

Our Chairperson

Mothiur Ra hman is the Forum's Chairperson

How our community team can help

Nazia, Neil and Zahira are the friendly voices on the end of the phone line when you call us and the people who deal with your visits, letters and emails.

They work closely with community groups and individuals who want to make a difference to Darnall. Nazia gives help and advice to people looking for work or training and is our adult community learning champion. Zahira runs various community development programmes.

We also have a team of adult community learning tutors who work closely with us. They help us run courses in IT, ESOL, employment skills, driving theory and other subjects.

If you want help with something which isn't listed here, and you live in Attercliffe, Darnall or Acres Hill, why not give us a ring anyway and we'll try to signpost you to the right place.

More about us

Darnall Forum’s day to day business is managed by a Board of local volunteers. Its vision statement is:

To create a listening space for the community, and

To work in partnership with other agencies and organisations to improve local services and help regenerate Darnall.

The Forum has four part-time staff who with local people to implement a Community Action Plan that was drawn-up after extensive consultation with all sections of the local community. The members of the Forum Board are drawn from the different faith and ethnic groups represented in the area and are elected by the members of the Forum at its AGM.

Darnall Forum is currently funded by Sheffield City Council, the European Social Fund and a small number of charitable trusts.

Darnall Forum also trades under the names D F Enterprise and Darnall Forum Trading, which reopened the community post office in 2010 and ran it for nearly eight years.

Consulting about our Community Action Plan

Here are the logos of some of the agencies which fund us.

The Main Aims of Darnall Forum are:

To create a forum where people can meet to raise issues of local concern, where the agenda is set by local people and where leadership and direction remain with local people.

To work together as women, men, young people, elders, black, white, disabled or able-bodies, of different faiths or none, recognising, respecting and valuing our differences.

To form links with key agencies and local enterprises in order to work in partnership with them, discuss their role in the area and – where necessary – challenge them.

To gather resources to support and deliver initiatives begun and supported by local people.

To ensure that there is a clear and agreed process by which the Forum makes and acts upon its decisions, and to ensure that the Forum Board is accountable to the membership.

Sheffield City Council Logo

What sort of organisation are we?

Darnall Forum is a voluntary sector organisation. It is a company limited by guarantee, (No. 03644311), and a registered charity (No. 1121396).

The Forum Board is made up of seven elected members of the Forum.

The Forum's charitable aims are urban regeneration and community development and community development.

European Social Fund

How to get in touch with us

T0114 249 0099Edarnallforum@gmail.com

Or you can write, or call in, to our offices at245 Main RoadDarnallSheffieldS9 4QD

Darnall Forum

Darnall Forum runs Darnall Post Office, provides employment advice and adult community learning, and brings together people who live and work in Darnall, Acres Hill and Attercliffe, a multi-faith and multicultural neighbourhood in Sheffield 9.